Will the 50cm Susie be too small?

[John C]

Hey y’all, longtime lurker here. Looking to potentially pick up my first Riv and have a few questions about sizing. Maybe someone with similar measurements and own a Susie/Gus could chime in. 

I’m looking at the 50cm in gold color. Riv says:

• 50cm  (650B wheels): 74-76cm. Saddle height: 63cm to 65cm
• 53cm (650B wheels):  77-88cm. Saddle height: 66cm to 77cm

My PBH is: 76.5cm-78cm measured multiple times. I’m 5’6 with a longer torso. 

Saddle height: 64cm (most of my bikes are Riv inspired vtg MTBs with upright bars and this feels comfy for me)

Seems like I'm on the edge between Med / Small. Can the small fit without feeling too cramped? FWIW, I rode a Gus test bike years ago at Rivelo here in PDX while it was still open. They were fantastic, but unfortunately I can't remember if I rode a small or med size frame.  

[Aaron Wilson]

You might want to compare the stack and reach of your bikes with the Susie, but you'll need to be careful. If you've added a lot of headset spacers (or a long quill stem) to your bikes to get them upright, that'll effectively increase their stack and decrease their reach (because of the angle of the headtube). The Susie has a pretty high stack, so you'd probably need fewer spacers to get the bar height you want (making its reach feel greater if you just compared the frame specs to bikes where you used more spacers). 

Does that make sense? Please, someone correct me if I'm thinking about this wrong. 

[Valerie Yates]

I am 5'6 with an 83 pbh and not long torso. For me, the medium Susie is perfect. The bike overall feels big in a very fun way but the dimensions within the cockpit are quite comfy. In fact, my bosco bars are a little closer than I'd normally choose but the bike came with them and I'm not sufficiently motivated to make any changes. In this photo, the top of my saddle is at 72 and the bottom of its rails are at 64. There is plenty of room to lower the saddle. On the other side, the dirt drop stem, which you cannot see, is completely slammed. With a different combination of stem and bars, you could likely make it work for you. I think it depends on whether you instinctively prefer a compact feeling frame or a larger one. I've always liked being on larger-feeling bikes. When in doubt, call Rivendell and ask their opinion. Good luck!

On Monday, May 13, 2024 at 1:34:17 PM UTC-6 johnwc...@gmail.com wrote:

[Ginz]

How long are your arms?  For me, that would be the deciding factor as to whether I'd want a longer or shorter top tube.

[iamkeith]

I'd second the opinion that you want the medium.  As another with a proportionally long torso, Rivendell (or even most other bikes)  rarely have a long enough top tube for me.  The beauty of the susie is that you can get a longer bike and still have standover clearance.  You might find the stack height a bit tall, but you can play with stems to de-emphasize that.  It'll probably be the best-fitting bike you've ever owned.

[John C]

Too late! I actually went with the gold in 50cm.

FWIW, I compared the frame size after delivery to my vintage Stumpjumper (with Ron's Ortho bars), and Bombora. I actually don't think it will be an issue. The Susie has a much longer TT and both of those bikes fit me well.

I'll post up the final build once it's complete.